


Stay With Me

by Nightwinging_it



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Reyder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-07 00:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18399440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightwinging_it/pseuds/Nightwinging_it
Summary: Scott Ryder and Reyes Vidal understand that they live dangerous lives, but that doesn't make the trauma of nearly losing each other any easier.





	Stay With Me

**Author's Note:**

> I woke up in the middle of the night with this idea and oh god I'm so sorry I swear I love them and don't mean to keep torturing them

“Reyes? Reyes!”

He couldn’t quite make out the word. His name? He thought it was his name. Reyes didn’t know.

“Hey, Reyes, come on, stay with me. Open your eyes. Please.”

The voice was panicked and…familiar. Whose voice was that? Were Reyes’ eyes closed?

He tried to remember how to open them. Light and blurs appeared suddenly, and Reyes felt sick to his stomach. He tried to turn his head away from whatever he was looking at, but he had no control of his body. He couldn’t feel anything. Even the sick feeling vanished.

“Reyes!”

Scott? Yes, that was Scott. He sounded so close and so far away all at the same time.

Scott was saying something else, but Reyes couldn’t make out the words. It was dark again, which was a relief.

He floated away in that silent darkness, Scott’s voice fading.

***

Sharp, burning pain spread across Reyes’ body, and he jerked in response, a pained noise tearing from his throat. Someone put a hand on his chest, holding him down before he could get up.

He tried to get up anyways, to defend himself or get away. But his head exploded into pain and his vision blurred alarmingly.

“Reyes, stop! Don’t move!” Scott cried. His voice grew angry as he addressed someone else. “Be careful!”

Reyes gasped for air, for relief. He fought to raise his arms, clawing at his burning flesh. Someone restrained his arms, and he couldn’t even find the strength to fight back. His head hurt too bad to move.

“Ryder, don’t let him pick his head up!” someone said urgently.

“Reyes, you’re okay,” Scott said, a slight tremble in his voice. He’d never been good at lying.

Scott’s face was a blur to Reyes, so Reyes shut his eyes, blocking out the light. It didn’t ease the pain in his head. It seemed to grow by the second, a roar of pain obscuring the words Scott was speaking to him. He felt warm hands on either side of his face, keeping his head steady.

His head. God, his head hurt. It hurt so bad.

Was he dying? He didn’t know. He hoped so. Anything to stop the pain.

His body jerked as his skin burned again, but he couldn’t move his head. Scott’s grip was firm.

Reyes searched desperately for that silent darkness he’d been floating in before. As another wave of pain crashed over his head and dragged him down, he welcomed the depths of unconsciousness.

***

A loud noise snapped him back to his pained senses. It took a moment to register that the noise had been a cry of pain, and had come from his aching throat.

“Be more careful!” Scott snapped.

“We need to get him to the medbay!” someone snapped back. They spoke again, their voice calmer, more understanding. “Ryder, he needs medical attention. It’s going to hurt him to move, but he can’t stay here. He can’t.”

“I know.” Scott sounded miserable, and Reyes could feel Scott’s thumb stroking his cheek. “Okay. Okay, but bring that stretcher closer. Let me get a better hold on his head.”

Reyes struggled again as that pain came screaming through his head again. He could hear voices, and then his whole body was alight with agony, pumping through every inch of him, and his head, his head, it hurt, _it hurt_.

The ringing in his ears was too loud to make out Scott’s voice, but he could tell the tone was frantic. He tried to open his eyes, but that sent another sharp pain through his head, and he was surprised it hadn’t exploded yet.

He tasted blood in his mouth, and then someone was gripping his jaw, trying to speak to him. His jaw felt locked in place, and he knew if he opened it, he’d scream. He’d scream and scream and he wouldn’t stop until the pain in his head killed him.

“Reyes, please,” Scott begged, his voice finally piercing the ringing in Reyes’ ears. “You’re going to bite your damn tongue off.”

There was so much pain that Reyes hadn’t even noticed he was biting his tongue. He slipped it out from his teeth, but kept his teeth ground together so he wouldn’t scream. There was the sensation of moving, of being lifted, but no one was touching him. Aside from Scott’s hands, still firmly on his face.

The throbbing grew worse and worse by the second, like a colony of krogan were raging inside his skull, breaking everything. He ground his teeth together harder, wondering vaguely if they would shatter. He-

Thoughts fled in terror of the agony gripping him. Reyes didn’t know if he screamed, but he did become aware of the bliss of passing out again.

***

He jerked, hissing in pain and struggling. His vision was still blurred, dark spots rapidly appearing and making it harder to tell what was happening. Someone grabbed his arm and he let out a gasp of pain as he yanked it free, the pain shooting straight to his head. As someone reached for it again, he punched blindly.

“Ow, shit! Tough bastard!” a voice said. Liam? He recognized the accent.

“Hold him still before he hurts himself worse!” Lexi. The doctor.

“Lexi, do something,” Scott said, his voice desperate and impatient. “Give him- anything. Give him anything to put him under. Please. Please, Lexi.”

“I’m trying,” Lexi said, her voice closer now. “Keep his head still. He might have damage to his neck.”

Reyes felt a sharp, quick pain in his arm, and then the sensation of something spreading through his arm. He choked out a relieved noise as the pain in his head began to fog up and disperse. He could feel his consciousness slipping again, but he didn’t care. Anything that stopped the pain.

“You’re going to be okay,” Scott said, his voice quiet and close to Reyes’ ear now. “Just hang in there, Reyes. Stay with me.”

He would try. But the drugs pulled him under, and he didn’t fight it.

***

Reyes cracked his eyes open cautiously. His head felt heavy and there was a throbbing in it, but not to the degree it had hurt earlier.

“Reyes?”

Scott’s voice was quiet but hopeful next to him.

Reyes tried to turn his head but that made it hurt worse. He squeezed his eyes shut until the feeling passed, then powered through it so he could see Scott.

His vision was still a little blurry, but he could make out those relieved blue eyes. Scott squeezed his hand tightly.

“Reyes? How do you feel?” Scott asked. “Do you want me to go get Lexi?”

“Feels like I went shot for shot with a krogan,” Reyes said, his words slightly slurred. He tried to focus on his speech. “What happened?”

Scott looked away from him. “We went after those exiles. They…” He paused, squeezed Reyes’ hand again. “They had water traps rigged to pour the toxic water on us. It hadn’t cleared up in that cave yet.”

Reyes tried to remember. He looked down at himself. His legs were covered by a thin sheet, but his chest was exposed and wrapped in bandages.

“Lexi said it won’t scar,” Scott said.

“Are you okay?” Reyes asked, frustrated at his vision. He couldn’t tell if Scott was injured.

But Scott nodded. “I’m fine. My shields absorbed it all, and I shielded myself with biotics once they were depleted. But you…”

Reyes didn’t have the strong shields that Scott did.

Reyes tentatively reached up to touch where there was a pressure on his head. Sure enough, bandages were carefully wrapped around his head.

“This?” he asked.

“They attacked you after we activated that shitty water trap. One of them slammed into you and you-” Scott broke off, closing his eyes and taking a breath. “I thought you were dead, Reyes. You hit your head so hard on that rock. You weren’t moving. There was so much blood.”

Reyes let himself squeeze Scott’s hand this time. “I’m rather stubborn when it comes to dying.”

But when Scott looked at him, Reyes’ weak smirk dropped off his face. Scott put a hand on Reyes’ chest, over one of the bandages.

“I called in backup. They got to us as fast they could. I tried to shield you with my biotics. But I couldn’t get to you to check your pulse,” he whispered.

“Check it now,” Reyes said, guiding Scott’s hand to his heart. “I’m okay, Scott. I have the worst headache of my life, but I’m okay.”

His skin was starting to prickle again, but he assumed that wouldn’t be too much of an issue. He’d seen people get injured by the toxic water before, and enough medi-gel usually did the trick. It would sting for a few days but gradually fade.

The head wound, on the other hand, was concerning.

Reyes traced through his memories. He mentally recited the names of contacts to himself, pictured locations around Kadara. He went through and named all of the Tempest crew. Good, his memory seemed to be alright.

Still, it was best to check. “How bad is my head?”

“Lexi ran scans. You have one hell of a bad concussion, but no permanent damage,” Scott said. He wasn’t looking at Reyes again. “She wants to keep you here for a few days to monitor you. She’s been hovering since she put you under. I finally convinced her to go get some food.”

Reyes furrowed his brow, wincing when the movement sent a small spark of pain through his head. “How long have I been out?”

“You’ve been in and out of consciousness since Lexi put you under two days ago. I already contacted Keema to tell her you were…busy,” Scott said.

“Scott,” Reyes said.

When Scott looked at him, his heart sank at the guilt and sorrow on Scott’s face. Sometimes he took it for granted how much Scott really loved him. It was moments like this that reminded him just how nestled into Scott’s heart he really was.

He reached out, putting a hand on Scott’s cheek. “I’ll be fine.”

“I should’ve had SAM scan for traps,” Scott said quietly, and tears rose in his eyes. “I really…I really thought you were…” He put his hand back on Reyes’ chest.

Reyes put his hand on Scott’s neck and drew him closer. Despite the pain it sent through him, Reyes pulled Scott into a tight embrace.

Scott had lost his mother to illness, then had to live with the knowledge his father had died for him, all with the uncertainty of his sister’s comatose condition on his shoulders. He’d lost too much. He blamed himself for too much of it.

“I’m sorry,” Scott choked out, burying his face against Reyes’ neck.

“Don’t be,” Reyes murmured, rubbing Scott’s back. “I’m alive, Scott. I’ll be okay. You can’t get rid of me that easily, and neither can those damn exiles.”

Scott clung to Reyes, embarrassed as tears leaked down his face but too relieved that Reyes was holding him to care much. When Reyes had fallen, he’d cracked his head against a rock and laid limp in his own blood, body soaked with toxic water.

Scott had flung the bastard who’d knocked Reyes over against the wall with his biotics, shattering the man’s bones. Then he’d gunned him down with a clip of his assault rifle for good measure.

He’d been terrified and desperate to get to Reyes and check his pulse. He’d been terrified and relieved when he finally found it, a weak beat of his heart.

“You bruised Liam pretty good. I think it made him simultaneously hate you and respect you more,” Scott said, but didn’t release Reyes.

“Well, I finally had an excuse. I had to take the shot,” Reyes teased, and kissed Scott’s hair. He wiped some tears away with his thumb. “Thank you.”

“Thank you?” Scott echoed, lifting his head and staring at Reyes in confusion.

“For making sure I didn’t die,” Reyes said. “I rather like living.”

He kissed Scott’s cheek before lying back down. Sitting up was making him dizzy, and he didn’t want to worry Scott.

Scott put a hand on his shoulder, concern instantly on his face. “Are you okay? I can go get Lexi. She should look you over now that you’re really awake.”

“Wait,” Reyes said, grabbing Scott’s arm as he started to stand. “Not yet.”

Scott’s eyes were still red from crying. He was still upset. Reyes didn’t want to get distracted by being poked and prodded by the doctor.

Instead, he tugged Scott closer and kissed the palm of his hand. Scott smiled, though it was weak and sad.

“You know what this means, right?” Reyes said.

“What?” Scott asked.

“I’m badly injured,” Reyes said, making sure his voice was as dramatic as possible. “If only I had an attractive man to wait on my needs while I recover.”

That stole a smile from Scott’s lips, setting Reyes at ease. He didn’t like to see Scott upset for any reason.

“I think that can be arranged,” Scott said, kissing Reyes. But then the smile was gone and his face was serious again. “Reyes, if I ever lost you-”

Reyes shook his head. “Don’t do that. You didn’t lose me. Don’t think about it.”

They lived dangerous lives. The thought of losing Scott pained Reyes too much to think about. Reyes couldn’t imagine how much harder it was for Scott, who was still torn over the permanent loss of his mother and father, and temporary loss of his twin.

Reyes felt exhaustion creeping up on him, and he nearly snorted. Passed out for two days and he was tired after just a few minutes. Pathetic.

But where Scott was always impatient and eager to push his limits to get back to work as soon as possible, Reyes was a patient man who understood his body needed time to recover. He would grant himself that, frustrating as it may be. He could still pull Kadara’s string from the Tempest’s medbay, so long as he had access to his omni-tool and email.

Besides, he wouldn’t leave even if the doctor came in here and cleared him right now. He wanted to make sure Scott would be okay. That was more important than getting right back to work.

This had clearly shaken Scott up. Reyes would stay as long as Scott needed him to.

Reyes shifted over on the bed carefully, trying to hide the pain that caused him. He tugged Scott until he gave in and laid next to Reyes, trying to be careful of his injuries.

“Make sure I wake up,” Reyes mumbled, yawning.

“I will,” Scott said, his voice serious.

“And when I wake up, I demand a transfer to the Pathfinder’s quarters. Your bed is much more comfortable,” Reyes said, closing his eyes and letting his head rest against Scott’s shoulder.

Scott traced his fingers over an uninjured portion of Reyes’ chest as the man fell back to sleep. Scott swallowed the lump in his throat and kissed Reyes’ shoulder.

He was so grateful Reyes was going to be okay. So scared he wouldn’t be next time.

“SAM?” Scott said, his voice quiet. “How is he holding up?”

“Mr. Vidal will make a full recovery, Pathfinder. I will continue to monitor his condition for you, and alert you if he needs to be woken up or if he needs medical attention,” SAM replied.

“Thank you,” Scott said. He really should go get Lexi.

But if he got Lexi, she might wake Reyes up to run tests on him now that he was coherent again. Scott just wanted to let him rest for now.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, looking at the bandages covering Reyes’ head.

His heart ached as he thought of his family. His parents were dead. His sister was in a coma. He didn’t want to lose anyone else he loved.

He held Reyes as tightly as he dared. He never wanted to see Reyes in that much pain again. He couldn’t stop picturing Reyes panicked and struggling, crying out in pain because he was so disoriented he didn’t even realize he was injured. Reyes, barely conscious and gritting his teeth so he wouldn’t scream at the pain.

He’d be okay. He’d make a full recovery. And when he did, Scott would do whatever it took to prevent this from happening again.

“It would be a lot easier to keep you safe if you’d just wear decent armor, you stubborn bastard,” Scott muttered.

But that was a fight for another day. For now, Reyes was on the mend. He was here, alive and in Scott’s embrace.

Scott had never been so grateful in his life. He’d do anything to protect Reyes. He never wanted to live a day without Reyes.

“I love you,” he whispered, and made a mental note to say it when Reyes was awake again.


End file.
